Regeneration of Human Tooth Enamel

摘要

Enamel, the exterior coating of vertebrate teeth, is a biomineral with remarkable hardness and resistance to physical and biochemical attack. The special features of enamel result from its composite nature, as it is composed of substituted hydroxyapatite, and organic macromolecules. The tissue is assembled of needlelike crystals, bundled in parallel ordered prisms, but the exact microcrystalline alignment is specific to each individual. As mature enamel is not living tissue, it is only scarcely remineralized after substantial mineral loss (e.g., caries). Currently, defects in enamel and the underlying dentine are usually refilled with unstructured substitutes like amalgam, ceramics, or polymer composites to prevent tooth death.